Langham Retreat

About this property

Nestled in the tranquil, pretty village of Langham, close the Blakeney and Wells next-the-Sea, Langham Retreat is a pretty holiday cottage for two couples or a small family wanting to walk, birdwatch, spend lazy days on glorious sandy beaches, head out to look for seals or visit gorgeous manor houses and their gardens. This former barn has been beautifully and sympathetically renovated to offer bright, cheerful and stylish holiday accommodation.

As well as being close to the ever popular Blakeney, Langham is also very close to the beautiful market town of Holt. Most of this stunning area is within the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In the Domesday Book of 1085 Langham is recorded by the names of Lagaam and Lang(a)ham. It was the location of RAF Langham airfield during the Second World War with the remains of the runway and airfield buildings sitting to the west of the village. The village enjoys numerous listing buildings including the Grade I listed Church of St Mary and St Andrew, the Grade II Langham Hall and the Grade II Bluebell Public House. Langham Airfield Dome Trainer is a scheduled monument. Blakeney is one the best loved beauty spot’s on the North Norfolk coast with a very pretty harbour and winding roads full of charming independent shops, galleries and some lovely gastropubs. It boasts sensational walks out to the calm and peaceful marshes.

Langham Retreat is bright and airy with high vaulted ceilings and plenty of characterful beams. The living space is open plan in design with the kitchen and dining area just a few steps higher than the living area. It is a very comfortable retreat where you will crave tranquility no more. Langham Retreat is a haven for hunkering down with the gorgeous coastline and the north Norfolk charms on your doorstep. You just need to pack your swim things, your walking boots and perhaps a good book or three. It is the perfect abode for switching off and enjoying life’s simple pleasures, the sea, the renowned big skies, the birds and the countryside. Under lofty beams, the living area enjoys two comfy sofas adorned with colourful scatter cushions, a television and a fabulous wood burning stove. You can chuck another log on the fire and cosy up watching a film, all the while relishing in the beauty of the beams, vaulted ceiling and the exposed brick wall. The kitchen diner is lovely too with a modern kitchen, a charming dining table and chairs and yet more beams. The chef in your group will be delighted with the space and the wine fridge will go down a treat. During chilly evenings, not only will the wood burner be welcome, but the underfloor heating will keep your toes toasty. Barn doors lead out to your charming courtyard patio with a table and chairs for a spot of alfresco dining and star watching.

Langham Retreat boasts two large bedrooms, both offering beautifully dressed kingsize beds and plenty of humble elegance. The barns ancient beams are very much part of the warm and welcoming ambience. The master bedroom suite enjoys an ensuite bathroom with a bath and overhead shower. The second room offers an ensuite shower room. The bed in this room can be converted to twins on request.

Langham is an adorable north Norfolk village with plenty of ancient buildings and an excellent pub. Even if you don’t want to visit the pub for dinner, you can head there for some take away fish and chips.

The charming, picturesque village of Blakeney is very nearby with its pretty harbour, delightful range of unique shops including fishmongers, butchers and galleries, gastropubs and its amazing landscape of marshes, sand hills and mud banks. You can walk straight from the cottage and enjoy this Instagram worthy estuary. Within this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Blakeney National Nature Reserve offers uninterrupted views of the coastline and you are very likely to spot migratory birds as well as the seals at Blakeney Point. Make sure you try one of the fresh crab sandwiches from the mobile van in the car park at the harbour. They are delicious! Trips can be taken from Blakeney and Morston Quay to visit the seal colonies. The pups are born during November to early January with over two thousand seal pups being born each year. It is a wonderful family outing.

A couple of miles away is the enchanting village of Cley-next-the-Sea. It boasts wonderful views across the marshes, an outstanding deli, several art and pottery galleries and a smoked fish shop. The marshland was used for horse races up to the early 19th century as well as being a regular haunt for smugglers. The area is excellent for birdwatching. You should look out for ringed plovers, oystercatchers, brent geese and common teal.

The nearby market town of Holt is home to some excellent art galleries, antique and book shops, butchers, greengrocers, delicious eateries, and a maze of 18th century Georgian buildings hiding in wonderful courtyards and alleyways. It looks so pretty at Christmas when all the shops display brightly lit trees on the front of the buildings. You really shouldn’t miss a trip to the town, even if it is just for a cup of coffee in one of its cafes.

Further along the coast you can visit the wonderful town of Wells-next-the-Sea with its colourful beach huts, mammoth sandy beach sprinkled with dunes and grasses, pine forest, attractive harbour and its lovely leafy green ‘The Buttlands’, home to several gastropubs. You can walk all the way to Holkham Beach, one of the finest in the country. You can also take the Wells to Walsingham Light Railway for an afternoon excursion.

Holkham’s beach is totally unspoilt with a glorious semi-circle basin filling to form a spectacular shallow lagoon at high tides. The beach is famous for the closing scene in Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘Shakespeare in Love’. The 25000-acre Holkham Estate is rich in history, architecture and wildlife.

There are plenty of historical houses to visit including Royal Sandringham, Houghton Hall and the National Trust’s Blicking Estate, Felbrigg Hall and Oxburgh Hall. Sandringham is the much-loved country retreat of HM The Queen and has been the private home of four generations of British Monarchs since 1862. You can visit part of the house, the private gardens and St Mary Magdalene Church as well as taking delightful walks through the estate. There are frequent craft shows and other events in the grounds. The Holkham Estate is huge at 25000 acres. Holkham Hall is rich in history, architecture, and wildlife. The seat of the Earl of Leicester, this elegant 18th century mansion is still a much loved, lived-in family home which visitors can also enjoy. There are six acres of walled garden, originally laid out by Samuel Wyatt in the late 1700’s. Visitors enjoy the walking and cycling paths, the lakes, watching the deer, the tree top high ropes course with its swings, bridges and ziplines, rowing boats, canoes and kayaks on the lake and the woodland play area. It is an outstanding family excursion.

Accommodation

The Barn

Ground Floor
- Open plan Sitting/Dining Room with comfortable seating
- Kitchen Area with electric built-in oven and hob, fridge, dishwasher, microwave, wine cooler fridge, washing machine and tumble dryer
- Bedroom with a super king-size bed and an ensuite bathroom with bath and an over-bath shower/hand-held shower attachment
- Bedroom with a super king-size zip & link bed that can be converted to twin beds, (please request on booking) and an ensuite shower room with a walk-in shower

Outdoor Grounds
- Enclosed courtyard patio area with table and chairs
- Charcoal BBQ
- Driveway parking for 2 cars

Additional Facilities
- Sony HD TV with FreeSat
- DVD player
- iPod dock
- Radio
- Wi-Fi
- Wood burner
- Underfloor heating
- Books and games
- Access to a freezer is available at the owner's property next door, please request on booking if required

Langham Retreat is next door to Langham Barn, ideal for families or friends who wish to holiday together but retain their own space.